Automatic air-brake control for railways.



H. J. WARTHEN.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE CONTROL FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1910. RENEWED FEB. 5, 1914.

1,090,806. I Patented Mar.17,1914.

' UNITED STATES PATENT HARRY J. WARTHEN, orwnsnmeron, ms'rnrc'r or CQLUMBIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR-BRAKE CONTROL FOR RAILWAYS.

Application filed'June 16, 1910,

1 Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mam. 17,191ML. SeriaI NO. 567,301. Renewed February 5,1914. Serial No. 816,843.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY J. WARTHEN, a citizen of .the United States, residing in the city of Washin ton, District of Columbia, have invented an i utomatic Air-Brake Control for Railways, of which the. following is a full and complete specification.

applied to the air-brake system and normally maintained by a closed electric circuit'so as not to interfere with the usual operation of. the air-brake mechanism, and so constructed and arranged with respect to the fluid-pres'- sure supply to the tra1n-line that when the electric circuit is broken, from any cause, the

. devices will operate by gravity to exhaust taining the valve inoip the train-line and thus apply the brakes to thetrain.. V

A further object of my present invention is to provide the automatic air-brake control devices with means whereby said devices may be restored to the normal position by the operation of the engineers startinglever.

With these principal objects in view my invention consists in providing the fluidpres'sure supply of an alr-brake system with a valve through which the fluid-pressure passes to the train-line, means for mainen position by a closed electric circuit and for closing the valve by gravity when the electric circuit is broken; all as hereinafter fully described and specifically set claims. a p v In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a view of an air-brake control mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being shown in their normal position, with the electric circuit closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view, illustrating the position of. the parts when the circuit is broken.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in both figures of the drawings.

In carrying out my invention I provide the supply-pipe 4 from the fluid-pressure reservoir 5 to the train-line connection-.6 of

forth in the appended the air-brake systemof a railway train "with a piston-valve comprising a cylindrical casing 7 and vertically movable piston 8, the latter having a horizontal passage 9 which connects the supply-pipe 4 with the tram-line connection -6 when said piston is raised, as shown in Fig. 1. This'piston is also provided with a cavity 8 in its upper side adaptedto connect the train-line connection 6 with an exhaust ort 7 in the cylinder when the piston is lowered to cut off the supply to the train-line, asshown, in

Fig. 2 of the drawings, and for the purpose of operatingv the piston the cylinder is connected at its lower end to the fluid-pressure reservoir .5 by feed pipes 10 and 11, with an interposed control-valve comprising a casing 12 and turning-plug 13, the latter hav- 1ng a pass e 14 for connecting the feed pipes 10 an 11, and a cavity 15 for connecting the pipe 10 with an exhaust port 16. The turning'plug of the control-valve has an operating-arm 17 connected to the 'stafi' 18 of a solenoid 19, the'connections being such that the control-valve is open to connect the piston-valve with the fluid pressure reservoir, and hold the piston 8 raised, when the solenoid is energized, andis closed to exhaust the air-pressure below the pistonvalve so that the latter will drop and cut off the su ply to the train-line connection 6 when t e solenoid is deenergized, the latter operation being efi'ected by the gravity of the solenoid-stafl augmented 'by a weight 20 on the upper end of said staff.

The electric connections for the solenoid are from one side of a battery21 by wire 22 to one side of the solenoid, from theother side ofsaid solenoid by wire 23 to a make and break de vicein the present instance a switch. 24-and by wire 25' from the switch to the other side of the battery. A lamp,

- 26, preferably showing a white light, is

connected to the wires 22 and 23, at opposite sides of the solenoid, so that said lamp will be lighted when the solenoid is energized; and 1n order to show a red' light, when the solenoid is deenergized, I provide a lamp 30 for this purpose, and in the circuit of this lamp are spaced apart contacts 27, 27, with which a plate 31 on the stafl? of the solenoid cooperates to close the circuit; one of the contact-points 27 being connected by wire 28 to wire 22 extending to one'side of battery '21, and the other contact-point 27 by wire 29 to the wire 25 extending to the other side of said battery, the plate 31 bemg attached to the stali of the solenoid so as to rest on the contact-points when the solenoid is deener 'Zed, and to break the red-lamp circuit w en the solenoid 'is energized, as will be obvious.

For the. purpose of raising the staii of the solenoid and thereby operating the controlvalve independently of the electric circuit .and restore a normal condition to the airbrake system, I provide a piston 32 operating in a cylinder 33 and connected to the lower end of the stafi of the solenoid, the lower end of the cylinder being connected by a pipe 34 to the upper end of a cylinder 35, in which latter operates a piston 36. By this arrangement, when piston 36 is raised in cylinder 35 it will compress the air in the upper part of said cylinder and force it through pipe 34 to cylinder 33, thus lifting piston 32 and staii 18 connected thereto. The piston 36 is operated by a pivoted lever 37 engaging the curved lower end ofsaid piston, and in the present instance this operating lever is connected by rod 38 to the engineer s operating lever 39, the arrangement of levers being 'such that lever 37 will be opv .erated to raise piston 36 only when the engineers operating lever is moved to reverse the engine; whereby the train may be backed but cannot proceed forward'until the electric circuit is closed to hold the stafi of the solenoid up.

For the purpose of illustrating the operation of the electric circuit in connection with the control devices, I have herein illustrated the circuit as controlled by an ordinary.

switch; but in practice this circuit is controlled by certain .track-circuits forming the subject-matter of a companion application for atent filed on even date herewith.

T e operation of the control devices will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings; for it will be seen that when the parts are in normal position and maintained by a closed circuit, as shown in Fig. 1 of. the drawings, the fluid: ressure from the main reservoir 5 of the arr-brake,

system may pass by pipe through pistonvalve 8 to the pipe 6 which connects 'w1th the usual train lme, permitting the air-brake mechanism to be operated by the engineer in the usual manner, the piston 8 in this instance being'held raised by pressure from reservoir 5thr0u h control-valve 13 to the underside of sai piston, and the controlvalve held open by the solenoid. In this normal position of the parts lamp 26 showing a white light will be lighted, and the lamp 30 showing a red light extinguished 'b reason of the plate 31 being raised. Now

s ould the electric circuit be broken from any cause the solenoid becomes deenergized' and the weighted stafi "18 falls by gravity thus closing control-valve '13 so that thepressure to cylinder 7 is cut ofi' and said cylinder exhausted, allowing-piston 8 to drop and cut off the fluid-pressure supply to the train-line; thereby automatically applyingthe air-brakes to the train. As will be seen, therefore, the control devices operate by gravity, and are maintained in normal position by a closed electric circuit;

When atrain is stopped by the breaking ofthe electric circuit the engineer cannot proceed with his train until the circuit is closed again, the devices to normal condition so as to back his train by reverse position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors-Patent, is

but may temporarily restore moving the operating lever to 1. An air-brake control device for railway trains, in combination with a fluid-pres sure supply and train-pipe, I through which the fluid-pressure passes to the train-pipe, a control-valve'for admitting.

of a piston-valve fluid-pressure to the piston-valve, a solenoid having a weighted staff forclosing the control-valve, and an electric circuit for the solenoid to open said control valyer 2. An air-brake control device for railway trains, in combination with a fluid-pressure supply and train-pipe, of a piston-valve through which the fluid-pressure passes to .the train-pipe, a control-valve for admitting fluid-pressure to the piston-valve, a solenoid or electro-magnet for operating they controlvalve, an electric circuit energizing the sole noid or electro-magnet, a make and break device for the electric-circuit, and means operated by the engineers' starting lever for re 'storing the solenoid or electro-magnet to" normal position.

3. An air-brake control device for railway trains, in combination with a fluid-pressure supply and-'train-p ipe, of a valve through which thefluid-pressure passes to the trainpipe, a solenoid or electro-magnet and means operated thereby for controlling the valve,

. an electric-circuit energizing the solenoid or electro-magnet, a make and break device for the electric circuit, and means operated by the engineers starting-lever for restoring v the solenoid or electro-magnet to normal position independently of the circuit.

4. An air-brake control device for railway trains, in combination with a fluid-pressure supply and train-pipe, of a piston-valve having a gravity-operated piston through which fluid-pressure passes to thetrain-pipe when said piston is raise a control-valve for admitting pressure to the piston-valve to hold the piston normally raised, a solenoid having a weighted stafi connected to the control-valve for holding the latter-normally-open and for closing it by gravity when the solenoid is deenerglzed, an electriccircuit for the solenoid, a piston connected to the stafi ofthe solenoid and inclosed in a cylinder; a second cylinder connected to the name to this specification in the presence of lower part plf tlhe first mentigned-lpggnder, a two Subscribing witnesses. piston in t e ast-mentione er, and r t means for operating said pis n from the HARRY WARTMN' 5 engineers operating lever, substantially as -Witnesses:

shown and described. L. S. AUSTIN, In testimony whereof I have signed my W A. REISB. 

